Firemind welcomes Pete McLean as our new solutions architect

Hello and welcome Pete to Firemind! For our viewers, could you please tell us a little about yourself and your professional background?

Hello and thank you for the warm welcome; I’m very pleased to be here.

I was trying to work out how long I had been working in the IT industry and realised it had been over two decades! I initially started by writing some Excel VBA macros to help automate some work I was doing at the time. This then quickly moved onto building databases and eventually developing BI solutions for companies. Then with the growth of the cloud I started using AWS around ten years ago and was amazed with what could be done. Since then, I have worked with many clients, designing and developing data-driven solutions on AWS.

How did you find out about us and what made you decide to apply for a role with Firemind?

I’ve been watching Firemind’s growth, especially over the past year or so. The company’s strong commitment as an all-in AWS partner was particularly appealing. Achieving the AWS Rising Star Partner of the Year 2023 and being among the first to earn the new AWS Generative AI Competencies certainly caught my attention. Additionally, having previously worked with some of the Firemind team, I knew it would be a fantastic place to work. I love working with data and AI on AWS and I’m eager to do more work on generative AI solutions, so it seemed like an obvious choice to come to Firemind.

What is your new role at Firemind?

I’m a Senior Solutions Architect, which means I will be taking customer’s requirements, designing the solutions, supporting the delivery of the projects and even getting my hands dirty doing some coding when needed. It is quite a varied role, but that’s what a love about it.

Which areas of our business interested you the most?

While the generative AI work that Firemind is doing is certainly exciting, I’m particularly interested in the data side of things – how it’s used, where it’s stored, and how it’s categorised.

What will be your main goals/objectives whilst working at Firemind?

My goals include ensuring our customers receive the best possible solutions, helping them build trust in their data and how it’s utilised, and demonstrating that they can rely on us for effective delivery.

Which aspects of your role are you most excited about?

As you’ve probably already gathered, I’m very interested in the data side of things. So, it probably comes as no surprise that I’m most excited to delve into how knowledge bases, vector databases, graph databases (and more) can be used within our solutions.

What do you hope to achieve within your first 12 months here?

I’d like to transfer some of my knowledge on data to the wider team here at Firemind. There are also a couple of AWS certifications I will be doing – I won’t say when or which ones as I don’t want to tempt fate, but sometime quite soon.

Outside of work, what do you get up to? Tell us about your hobbies.

When I’m not providing a taxi service for my children, my main hobby has got to be music. I studied music from an early age, playing a few different instruments but eventually focused on Percussion and Piano. Although I clearly didn’t make a career out of it, I still really enjoy playing when I get the chance.

What’s your favourite song on your playlist right now?

Currently, my car playlist features the soundtrack to Matilda the Musical, thanks to my daughter’s recent school performance. However, when I get the choice, my personal favourites include a range of artists like REM, Coldplay, Chilli Peppers, and Jamie Cullum. Jamie Cullum’s modern jazz twist on classic and contemporary songs is particularly enjoyable, including Singing in the Rain.

If you could only choose one dish to eat every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

It’s got to be Chicken and Chorizo Paella. It’s a family favourite and definitely one of my top choices.

What is at the top of your bucket list?

Building a Kit Car is at the top of my list. I’ve always been fascinated by cars and their engineering and will be constructing a Lotus 7 style kit car from scratch when I have the opportunity.

What is one skill you would really love to learn?

I’d like to find the time to learn a new language. I did learn some French at school however I seem to have forgotten most of it since then. I’m considering either French or Spanish as being able to communicate in a native language when you’re away, even a little bit, goes a long way.

How do you wind down after work?

When the weather is good and the opportunity arises, I like Kayaking. Being out on the open water is great – the quietness, the fresh air, the exercise and occasionally getting wet when you fall in!